


What's in a Patronus?

by fluffyweasley



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Light Angst, Memories, Patronus, The Golden Trio Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 11:36:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10718604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fluffyweasley/pseuds/fluffyweasley
Summary: Sometimes, to cast a Patronus you simply have to find that one flicker of light in all of the darkness.





	What's in a Patronus?

**“I’ve had enough trouble for a lifetime.”**

As Harry stepped forward to make his way to the Gryffindor Boys Dormitory, a sudden darkness fell upon the room. The bright sunlight entering the study disappeared, replaced by a gloomy darkness. An icy presence was felt around the room. The three of them looked at each other, eyes wide with panic and ran towards the window. A swarm of Dementors were gliding towards Hogwarts. Their cloaks, black as a nightmare. Bony, scabbed hands peeked out from these cloaks. 

“I-it can’t be.” Hermione mumbled, eyes popping open. 

“Of course it was bound to happen- it’s the aftermath of a bloody war after all.” Ron responded as he made his way towards the ornate window, face getting paler and paler as he drew nearer to the window. 

Harry’s jaw was clenched. He started running towards the Entrance Hall. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances and followed suite. 

The wreckage in the Entrance Hall was still evident. Everyone was in the Great Hall, busy with their own grievances and demons. As the Dementors edged closer, the icy feeling starting to become more blatant as Harry could feel his skin crawl- he was reminded of Fred’s body- limp and void of any form of life. The familiar pang of grief returned as he envisioned Remus and Tonks’s bodies. 

Harry closed his eyes and raised his wand, pointing it straight towards the swarm of Dementors.

_After all that they’d been through, he wasn’t going to let anyone fall prey to these foul creatures._

He tried to muster all those memories of Ron, Hermione and him, sharing a laugh in the Common Room. 

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

_“So how did your Divination O.W.L. go?” Hermione questioned._

_“Perfectly splendid- I thought I was describing an ugly troll of some sorts- on the crystal ball, when it was actually the examiner’s reflection.” Ron responded with a slight chuckle._

_“Bit of a nasty shock I suppose.” Harry muttered and the three of them laughed._

_They had the best seats in the Common Room that night, close to the fire and for a while, Harry was delighted to let loose and enjoy himself a bit._

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ 

_“Blimey, to think that they’d think I’m the Heir of Slytherin when I’m not even being able to juggle Quidditch, this monstrous pile of homework and Detention with Lockhart!” Harry exclaimed, with a hint of irritation in his voice._

_Ron and Hermione looked up from their work, slightly perplexed._

_“You’d think the Heir of Slytherin would be busy practicing his Seeking skills during Quidditch practice, rather than causing even more mayhem.” Ron retorted._

_“And the Heir of Slytherin did promptly turn up for every single one of his detentions- how very civil of him.” Hermione muttered._

_The three of them laughed and Harry was immensely grateful to have Ron and Hermione by his side._

Of the instant relief he felt after seeing Ron by his side, safe and sound after their row during their hunt for the Horcruxes. Harry thought about how much he loved the Weasleys and envisioned playing Quidditch with Ron, Hermione and Ginny at the Burrow. Talking with Sirius about anything and everything, during some of those sleepless nights. Sirius was always ready to lend a helping hand and usually gave superb advice. Harry visualised his parents smiling at him, eyes twinkling.

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” A silver stag erupted from the end of the wand and charged at the Dementors, temporarily holding them back. However, there were simply too many of them…

“Ron! Hermione! I really need your help. I can’t…” 

“I know mate, we’re doing our best.” Ron whispered, face as white as chalk.

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

_“Harry Potter is dead.”_

_When those words first entered Ron’s ears, a snort of disbelief escaped his lips._

_It was probably an elaborate hoax was the first thought that entered his mind, within seconds Harry would stir and face-off Voldemort, with him and Hermione right by his side._

_Any minute now! Ron thought, as a sense of panic engulfed him. What was Harry playing at? Few minutes would have passed by now._

_One. Two. Three. Four.  
No! No. No._

_As Harry’s body was lowered onto the ground, a shrill scream exited Ron’s mouth. He released all of his pent up grief. Ron screamed and screamed and screamed. How could he possibly deal with the loss of two brothers now?_

_Fury masked the sorrow that struck him and left a deep wound in his heart, as he strode over to look Voldemort right in the eye and yelled, “He beat you!”_

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

_No. No, I mustn't- he’s right here! Ron shook his head and attempted to compose himself._

_Yes, however Fred isn’t! Fred… who is gone._

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

Ron glanced towards his left, at Harry. He peered at his best friend, through the tears that clouded his vision. And despite all the anger and grief bubbling inside him, Ron was awestruck. After all that he’d been through, Harry was still there and strong. Fighting. Fighting to save everyone and that’s what kept him going as well. 

Ron tightened his grip around his wand and closed his eyes. 

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

 _“I still don’t see any ‘message’ in my Crystal Ball, Professor.” Ron stifled a yawn._

_“You’re not trying hard enough, boy! Let me have a look” Professor Trelawney drifted over to where Harry and Ron were seated._

_Professor Trelawney focused her beady eyes on the crystal ball on their table and let out a dramatic sigh. “My dear, I’d be careful If I were you- it seems as if you’ll be losing a large amount of money soon. You could be at the brink of poverty.” With that, Professor Trelawney returned to her desk._

_Ron’s ears turned red and before he could open his mouth, Harry interjected._

_“I wonder… Professor didn’t you predict that I was supposed die a very gruesome death yesterday? I wonder why that got delayed.”_

_All eyes were on Harry, however Harry simply whispered, “It’s alright mate, you know this subject is barking.”_

_Ron couldn’t help but snigger in agreement. Trust Harry to cheer him up._

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

_Ron marched into the Common Room, expecting it to be deserted, however a certain someone with bushy brown hair was seated by the fire, furiously scratching out something on her parchment and huffing in annoyance._

_“What’s wrong?”_

_“Oh it’s nothing. Just that this Ancient Runes essay is rather gruelling, anyway I’m nearly done.” Hermione put down her quill. “And what about you? How was your practice session?”_

_Ron sighed, and took a seat next to her. He hesitated at first, yet confided in her anyway. “Rubbish honestly, don’t know what I was playing at thinking I could become a Keeper! If I carry on like this, Gryffindor will surely lose, and the only one to blame for that will be me.”_

_“Oh Ron, I’ve been to enough Quidditch practices to know that it’s not the skills that you lack- it’s just your nerves!”_

_“Then how can you explain the fact that I managed to save only one goal- which was actually just sheer luck? And it’s easy for you to say, considering you’re the most brilliant witch in our year!” Ron interjected._

_“Look Ron, you’ve been practicing day and night! Practice makes perfect and well… there have been some times where I have had to try hard to catch up as well! I’ve never told anyone this, but in Muggle school, it’s compulsory to take English as a subject. Our English lessons consisted of many exercises where… where we had to use words to express our thoughts and feelings. Poetry writing, story writing- these tasks were a must. When I got back my first graded homework, I was-” Hermione exhaled deeply. “I was astounded when I received a D grade on it- it’s the equivalent of a Dreadful here by the way.” She added._

_Ron’s eyes were wide with surprise._

_“Nothing exasperated me more than that- I just found it unnecessary and well slightly difficult to put what I felt in words- they were too basic was what my teacher would say. Yet I poured over countless of books and strived to do much better, by writing things out over and over again. Tiresome yes, however in the end I managed to achieve a B- an Exceeds Expectations if you will and my teacher was quite proud of me. You see- it was rather silly but I tried my hardest and succeeded. So will you. Besides Ron, you’re actually a good flyer! All you need is to control your nerves- don’t let the Slytherins get under your skin. Harry says you’re a good flyer too!”_

_Ron was goggling at Hermione._

_“Well… I hope that helped…” Hermione looked slightly nervous, yet she gave him a small smile._

_Ron threw his arms around Hermione and engulfed her into a bear hug. “Hermione, you really are amazing!”_

_Hermione awkwardly patted him on the back._

_And that’s when Ron felt his cheeks turn red, butterflies fluttering in his stomach…_

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

Ron envisioned enjoying late nights in the Common Room, sitting by the fireplace and the three of them just enjoying each other’s company. Christmas at the Burrow. Winning the Quidditch Cup in his fifth and sixth year. Laughing with Harry at one of Fred and George’s jokes.

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” A silver terrier erupted from the end of his wand and sprinted towards the Dementors, charging at them head-first. 

“I’m trying Harry!” A single fat tear rolled down Hermione’s cheek. Hermione had always pondered the reason why certain adult wizards had trouble with this spell. One thought that particularly struck her was that _some people simply didn’t have enough happiness in their lives to produce a full-blown patronus._

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

 _“Obliviate.” Hermione pointed her wand at her parents._

Her heart suddenly ached at the prospect of no possible reunion. Australia was a big country after all and they could have decided to go anywhere…

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

 _“Harry Potter is dead.”_

_Those words made her body turn to mush. It felt as if grief itself had struck a knife through her heart as she watched Harry’s ‘dead’ body with her own two eyes. Part of her expected it, she had trained herself to prepare for the worse that could happen. However, actually watching it unfold was one of the most agonising things she had had the misfortune to witness._

_After all that they’d been through? Harry didn’t deserve this! Tears of rage spilled down her cheeks as she screamed and screamed and screamed till her voice was hoarse. It felt as if all the hope she had had was suddenly drained out of her body…_

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

_No! We’ve come so far and I can’t wreck our chances to end it once and for all. He’s alive and right here by our side. If the both of them can do this after all that they’ve been through, I can try as well!_

Hermione thought of the euphoria that consumed her after finally snogging Ron. Late nights at the Common Room with Harry and Ron, sharing some good laughs. Harry and Ron accepting the fact that she was in fact a know-it-all, yet loving her anyway. Getting perfect O.W.L. results. 

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

_“Take care of yourself dear, and remember no matter what anyone here calls you, you yourself know that you’re a bright young girl and those who put you down are envious.” Mrs Granger squeezed her into a tight hug._

_“I know mum...it’s just that- what if nobody here wants to be my friend? It does get quite lonely sometime.” Hermione mumbled. “I don’t want Year 6 to repeat itself at Hogwarts too.”_

_“Hermione Granger, you know your worth and who knows- you’ll find perfect company lurking around somewhere at Hogwarts too, people who love you for who you are and I promise you, they won’t use you or underestimate you.” Mrs Granger responded, planting a kiss on her daughter’s cheek._

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

And of course perfect company showed up in the form of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. She had been desperate to find her place in this completely different world and make her mark. And she did. She found a home with two boys- one with an affinity for attracting trouble and one with an affinity for underestimating himself. No matter how many slurs people hurled at her, she got back up with these two by her side and that’s all that mattered, didn’t it?

_“Hermione you’re brilliant!”_

_“You asked a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don’t want to be told?”_

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

11-year-old Hermione Granger wanted to make her mark on the Wizarding World. Little did she know that she wouldn’t just leave a single mark, she would leave behind a whole painting full of the marks that she, herself made. 

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” A silver otter burst through the tip of her wand, joining the stag and terrier, charging towards the Dementors.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were trying their hardest, yet some of it was in vain. Three patronuses against a whole swarm of Dementors simply didn’t produce the desired effect. 

A Dementor towards the back pushed against the silvery stag-

“Harry!” Ginny sprinted towards them, her wand drawn.

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

 _“Look it’s that Weasley girl! They say she let out a monster into the school last year.” Ginny heard a group of students pointing at her and gossiping._

_“Reckon she might pull another one of those stunts this year?” Another questioned._

_“Why is a coward like that in Gryffindor?” A Hufflepuff eagerly asked._

Oh shut up! I never did any of it willingly, I’d like to see what you all would have done if you were in my place! Ginny was tired of being miserable for this and she was enraged. She didn’t lose Fred and nearly lose Harry just to be overpowered by some Dementors. As much as she yearned for her dead brother to come back, she knew how furious he would be if they won the war, just to be bested by those ghastly, miserable creatures.

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

Ginny envisioned the adrenaline coursing through her veins as she scored another goal on the Quidditch Pitch, she thought of the wind in her hair and how light and carefree she felt while flying. 

_“Oh! You’re the Luna, Gin’s always been talking about. Pleasure to meet you.” Charlie smiled._

_The faintest hint of red was tinged across Ginny’s cheeks as those words left Charlie’s mouth._

_“Ooh has she?” Luna was beaming. “I’ve never had anybody talk nice things about me to family! It’s usually rather unkind things or warnings to stay away from me.”_

_When Luna smiled at her, Ginny could confirm that it was one of the most beautiful sights she had witnessed._

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

_“So remember the Ton-tongue toffee we told you about?” Fred questioned._

_“Yeah! How did it go?” Ginny smirked._

_“Wonderfully. All went according to plan! The moron cousin didn’t even suspect anything. The Muggles were baffled and shrieking like a bunch of baboons.” George put his arm up for a high-five._

_Ginny high-fived him and they laughed and laughed and laughed. It was her idea to test Fred and George’s newest invention on Harry’s bully cousin and it was a success!_

¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

Ginny thought of the smell of her mum’s cooking. The smell of home. 

After all everyone had been through, Ginny wouldn’t dream of backing down now of all times.

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” A majestic, silver horse shot out of the end of her wand and galloped towards the Dementors.

Together the horse, terrier, otter and stag emitted a blinding silver glow as the Dementors were forced to retreat backwards, scattering and fleeing. It was done.

The four of them lowered their wands and simultaneously sighed deep sighs. 

Harry’s eyes were bloodshot. Yet, there was one thing that suddenly hit him, the realisation that no matter how much sorrow they’d endure there was always one thing that would continuously be with them. Hope. Hope that after all the losses that they suffered from, they would make something better of this broken world. Hope that none of them would completely heal come tomorrow, yet they would try. They would keep trying everyday. 

Harry closed his eyes, waiting for peace and quiet to finally embrace him.

**Author's Note:**

> This is quite character-based, rather than plot-based. Nevertheless, enjoy.  
> Comments always appreciated :-)


End file.
